What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[HVC]

Can somebody explain to me how these tariffs work Constitutionally? Wasn't NAFTA passed by Congress? If the President can just ignore it and do something else anytime he feels like it, what was the point of having Congress vote on it?

Congress passed bills for sanctions of Russia and aiding Ukraine yet apparently the President can just not do those things if he feels like it.

So what exactly is the role of the legislative branch in our government?

The president has some "emergency" powers granted by law, and he gets to determine what is an emergency.

The legislative branch of the US will not carry out its constitutional duty of serving as a check on presidential power so long as spineless Republicans retain a majority. Th problem is that, even if the Democrats win a majority of both houses in 2026, the USSC will continue to promote the Imperial Presidency that can ignore the law.

Can congress impeach Supreme Court justices? Then again if they can it'll just set a precedent for the next republican majority congress. The GOP is not spineless, they're implicit.

[Valmy]

I fear universities and colleges will dutifully comply.

Oh yes they will. They love money more than academic freedom.

Besides many of them are public schools with complicit state governments.

[The Minsky Moment]

Free speech? Compelled to not wear masks? I would say that is against the Bill of Rights but there is probably some emergency which means it does not apply.

No it's about as clear a First Amendment violation as you could come up with.

The catch is that someone has to challenge it and get the courts to move on it.  The first gambit is proving standing to sue because the First Amendment prohibits *laws* restricting speech, and a Truth Social tweet is not a law.  Unless it is.

[Oexmelin]

Most public school's funding have long ceased to be from their State government, who have already decreased funding in their long war against higher education. Universities and colleges have responded by raising tuition, but also by going on building sprees for shining new facilities, which means they are vulnerable when enrollment decreases. Community colleges remain vulnerable. Ivy League, meanwhile, will never want to hear about college solidarity, and - as the shameful display of political incompetence by their administrators showed - are woefully unprepared for the moment.

Generally speaking, academics were all good students who are not well-prepared to resist authority in meaningful ways. It's also why so many of my colleagues continue to pin their hopes to law suits. That's the orderly way to resist.

[The Minsky Moment]

We may see pushback because once kids with "good" backgrounds start to get expelled or threatened with expulsion, their wealthy parents will pull endowment contributions and pressure the schools. 

[crazy canuck]

The main threat in Trump's message is revocation of Federal research funding.  But since he already did that, I am not sure what cudgel he has left with which to batter universities, but as Oex fears, I think many universities will still comply.

[crazy canuck]

We may see pushback because once kids with "good" backgrounds start to get expelled or threatened with expulsion, their wealthy parents will pull endowment contributions and pressure the schools. 

Why would the current Administration care about universities feeling pressure? And why would university boards, appointed in Red states care, and further why would any university board do anything to jeopardize any drops of federal research funding that might still be available?

[Oexmelin]

We may see pushback because once kids with "good" backgrounds start to get expelled or threatened with expulsion, their wealthy parents will pull endowment contributions and pressure the schools. 

Kids with good background will not do so; and if some do, parents will cut deals behind closed doors.

[crazy canuck]

We may see pushback because once kids with "good" backgrounds start to get expelled or threatened with expulsion, their wealthy parents will pull endowment contributions and pressure the schools. 

Kids with good background will not do so; and if some do, parents will cut deals behind closed doors.

Yeah, there is zero chance the kids with parents wealthy enough to be endowment contributors will get caught up in this.

[Syt]

So with research funding slashed, where will researchers and smart folks go to do their work? Is America going to face a brain drain?

[HVC]

So with research funding slashed, where will researchers and smart folks go to do their work? Is America going to face a brain drain?

Back to China for a lot of researchers, I guess. Do european
Universities have the space and resources?

[HisMajestyBOB]

Most public school's funding have long ceased to be from their State government, who have already decreased funding in their long war against higher education. Universities and colleges have responded by raising tuition, but also by going on building sprees for shining new facilities, which means they are vulnerable when enrollment decreases. Community colleges remain vulnerable. Ivy League, meanwhile, will never want to hear about college solidarity, and - as the shameful display of political incompetence by their administrators showed - are woefully unprepared for the moment.

Generally speaking, academics were all good students who are not well-prepared to resist authority in meaningful ways. It's also why so many of my colleagues continue to pin their hopes to law suits. That's the orderly way to resist.

That strikes me as being a huge problem with the Democratic Party leadership as well.

[Syt]

Could all of this insanity be a ploy to get Trump declared mentally incompetent so Vance can take over?

[Oexmelin]

That strikes me as being a huge problem with the Democratic Party leadership as well.

From my limited interactions with Democratic Senators (some of them are from academica after all...): absolutely.

[crazy canuck]

So with research funding slashed, where will researchers and smart folks go to do their work? Is America going to face a brain drain?

There is a real dilemma for US researchers now.  The main attraction they have for foreign universities had been their access to US research funding, and collaborations with US researchers brought significant benefits. 

Now US researchers just have their brains on offer.  Everyone in their fields of research have the same training but now others are the ones with access to research funding.  The Americans are about to get a taste of what it is like on the other side of the funding table.

So do US researchers stay on and hope funding resumes?  probably.  Or do they go to other universities in the world where research funding is still available.  That is also a gamble.

I don't say this with any happiness. The world (and especially the US) is a much poorer place without access to the research funding that used to flow.